The tubular wall of an animal small intestine, preferably that of a hog, is used as sausage casing for polish sausage and the like. Typically, hog intestines are processed to remove the offal contents of the small intestine and to provide a length of cleaned tubular intestine strand.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating a convoluted animal intestine by pulling a long strand from the convoluted bulk of intestine. The present invention is particularly suitable for pulling the small intestine of a hog.
When the intestines of an animal are removed, the intestines are found to be grouped into a coiled bulk of convoluted large intestine strand joined to a coiled bulk of convoluted small intestine strand. Conventionally, the pulling of intestines has been done manually. For example, a workman removes all of the guts from a slaughtered hog as it is being transported along a production line in an inverted position. The convoluted small intestine is separated from the convoluted large intestine on one end and from the stomach on the other end. The small intestine is in the coiled, or convoluted state and covered with a fatty membrane or ruffle fat which is attached to a portion of the circumference of the individual strand of intestine making up the convoluted coil. The small intestine, with ruffle fat attached, is known as the casing set. Conventionally, the ruffle fat must be cut away by workmen and the coiled intestine must be manually pulled and stretched in individual strokes to an average uncoiled length of 70 feet for a hog small intestine. The pulling operation is a tedious and time consuming task. It has been determined, that in one meat butchering plant, seven men are required to pull about 65 sets of hog small intestines per day.
There is a need for a method and apparatus for pulling the intestines rapidly and in such a manner so as to not damage the wall of the strand of intestine being pulled. Further, there is a need for a method and apparatus for separating or severing the ruffle fat from the small intestine. There is also a need for a method or apparatus of directing the pulled strand of intestine to the next work station or processing conveyor in a rapid manner.